"I am really delighted that we have been able to resolve this crisis so quickly and cleanly. We've only crossed one state line, and we don't even have to change our date," said series director Jeff Frost, of event management company Blue Wolf. "And it is great to be returning to Brian Head. We were very impressed with this venue when holding a series round there two years ago."

This is good news for the NMBS people and NorCal riders. Brian Head is actually slightly closer to the Bay Area than Tamarack.

A fund raiser is being held in conjunction with the CCCX Downhill Race Series starting this Saturday, May 3rd in honor of Mark A. Reynolds who died on Saturday, April 19, 2008.

Mark's death was a result of the crash he had while competing in the Downhill race during the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA. Mark, who was just 48 years old, was the owner of Wicked Racin and innovator of the Dualrailluer Guide for which is in the process of being patented as the first dual chain ring guide. Mark was an avid mountain biker who raced competitively and he also enjoyed the action sports scene including snowboarding, wake boarding and even piloting airplanes. He was also a friend to many as well as a mentor to those looking to improve their skills.

After hearing the news on Saturday, members of the Evomo Mountain Bike Team stepped forward to contact fellow industry companies in order to organize a memorial fund raiser in Mark's name. "I feel it's the right thing to do and I really feel for the family who had to hear such terrible news", said Tom Judy, Evomo Downhill Team Member. Everyone on the Evomo team instantly said they would be happy to make a collective Team donation to help. Within a few days, Fox Racing was ready to ship out some product donations and Keith DeFiebre, CCCX race organizer, offered his event location as a place to hold the fund raiser. "It was pretty awesome to get such instant support", said Tom Judy.

Mark's family hopes to contribute to a freeride or jump park that will be named after Mark so that people of all levels can enjoy the sport of mountain biking and can feel encouraged and supported, just as Mark made all of us feel.

Fox Racing Shox, Evomo, X-Fusion, Pactimo, Stan's No Tubes, Cool Cycling Club, Calabazas Cyclery, Trailhead Cyclery, and Auburn Bike Works have already stepped up to donate cash or product for the fund raising raffle that will be held at the CCCX DH Race Series finale on Sunday, June 22. Memorial T-shirts and raffle tickets will be for sale at this weekends event in which all proceeds will go to the fund in honor of Mark. "By having a huge raffle at our series finale in June we are able to maximize the cash we can raise by selling tickets at the next 5 races", said Keith DeFiebre, CCCX Race organizer.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

"USA Cycling is now accepting bids to host the 2009/2010 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships. The event is set to be contested the third week in July and will include cross country, short-track cross country, downhill, 4-cross, super D and observed trials events. Bids are also being accepted for USA Cycling's Mountain Bike Marathon National Championships, 24-Hour Mountain Bike National Championships and Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. All bids must be received no later than June 10, 2008" (Via Bids now being accepted for USA Cycling Mountain Bike Nationals)

The excitement of short track mountain bike racing comes to Howarth Park! Mountain bike racing is fast, fun and good for you too. These races are for anyone who would like to try mountain bike racing on a short course, all skill levels are welcome. All you need is an off-road bicycle, a helmet and a desire to have a blast! The course is approximately 1 mile and consists of smooth, rolling dirt trails. Racers can enter the appropriate category for their skill level and will race for a set length of time depending on experience."

So I don't usually post events that fall into the "mountain dew extreme" category, but its a slow Friday and this does look a bit interesting:

BIKE FEST JUMP JAM! is a pro/am contest at Bicycle Trip Bike Park in Santa Cruz, CA, held in conjunction with Bike to Work Week. The event is open to the public and will feature the best local and national freestyle BMX and mountain bike riders.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

The 2008 Skyline Mountain Bike Race (XC) has been set for June 29, 2008. No details yet (the website lists 2007 information only), but expect "A fun, demanding and challenging course. 8 miles & 1600 feet of climb per lap (subject to change) 80% single track. Uses parts of the 1999 World Cup course."

"Coolest 24 MTB Registration Closes April 27th! Registration for this year's Coolest 24 Hour MTB race closes on April 27th. Be sure to get your online registration or form sent in before that date so you make the cut! This year's race is going to be hands-down the Coolest 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race you can handle... Can you handle it?"

Hey everyone, it would appear that I fubar'd the schedule for the Lake Sonoma Series a bit:

"Dont forget kids, there is no race (Lake Sonoma Series) on April 26th at Lake Sonoma... Both NCNCA.ORG and MTBCALENDAR.COM have outdated schedules for the Lake Sonoma Series ... Lake Sonoma Series #2 is MAY 10th." (Via Bike Monkey)

I've corrected this site and mtbcalendar.com, but I think the NCNA site may still be wrong.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

"Giant Bicycles gets to add one more Super D win to go with the two it picked up last year in the debut event at the Sea Otter Classic. Carl Decker succeeded in overpowering former World Cup downhill pro Jurgen Beneke (Marin/Mercury Rev) on a short climb near the top and managed to stay away from Beneke for the remainder of the three-mile race ...The women battled from the start and a group of ten charged down the side of Laguna Seca toward the finish on Guidotti Road. A break of three including defending champ Kelli Emmett (Giant), Lea Davison (Trek/VW) and Jean Ann McKirdy (Rocky Mountain), broke free to fight for first until attacks by Davison and McKirdy left Emmett holding on for third." (Via VeloNews | Davison, Decker dominate Sea Otter Super D)

"Join us at the international premier of Kranked 7 'The Cackle Factor', Saturday April 19th at 8:30. The film is sponsored by SCOTT Bicycles and features several SCOTT Progressive riders like Mike Hopkins and James Doerfling.Location: Hyatt Regency Monterey, Regency Grand BallroomTickets: $10Doors Open:' 8:30PM

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

"The Fifth annual Santa Cruz Hellride, which takes place neither in Santa Cruz nor Hell, will return to the rugged steeps above Downieville, California, August 1st-3rd.

What has in the past been an opportunity for two unlucky souls to get mugged by Mark Weir and Rachel Lloyd for about 12 solid hours, with the chance to limp away at the end of it all with a new Santa Cruz Nomad for their efforts, is taking a new twist this year.

This year, applicants will be narrowed down to a field of about 32, who will then be voted by the internet public down to a final 8 (4 men, 4 women), who will then be invited to Downieville. They will then compete against each other, as well as Hellriders Weir and Lloyd, in a series of feats of strength (think 'American Gladiators' meets 'jackass') to gain hopeful time bonuses for the following day's Hellride.

The Hellride itself will take in somewhere between 65 and 75 miles of prime high country riding, mostly singletrack, with anywhere between 12,500 and 15,000 feet of climbing. The contestants will race each other, as well as the pursuing wheels of Weir and Lloyd, in battle where attrition and willpower will feature as strongly as fitness and bike handling ability, in the hopes of winning a brand new Nomad, kitted out with SRAM and Rockshox finest, valued at more than $5500.

Entries are being accepted now, at: www.santacruzbicycles.com/hellridefive. Entries will close on June 1st, and voting on finalists will begin on the same site the next day. The final 8 contestants will be announced on July 1st." (Via Bikemag.com)

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

The Way NorCal racing season starts later this month and here is an update on the Shasta Lemurian:

"COURSE UPDATE 4/13/2008The course today was dry and fast. Extended weather forecast indicates only a chance of showers on a handful of days. I expect conditions to be dry and fast on race day. Tires of choice will likely be those best suited to dry conditions. The Gas Can decent was extremely loose and sketchy, caution is advised as you won't win the race here, but could lose it here. Virtually no mud on the course. Lines on the Couch continue to improve. The Ice Box decent is rougher than previous years. Most of the blow down on the course has been removed, the remaining obstacles do not require a dismount. Check back for further updates.Course Director- Ron Bresolin"

Monday, April 14, 2008

Congrats to Pro Barry Wicks, who completed the course in 1:23:44, about two minutes in front of Kris Sneddon and Kenji Takeya. NorCal locals Aren Timmel and David Yakaitis came in fourth and fifth respectively.

On the ladies side, Stacy Marple edged Sarah Maile by about a minuted to claim the Women's Pro/Semi-Pro competition.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Northstar at Tahoe bike park is opening next month and we've been waiting to find out if MTB racing will also be returning. Wait no more: Jessica from Northstar was nice enough to send me the 2008 dates for both the XC and the DH series. First, news about the mountain bike park:

"In response to the popularity of the opening of LiveWire last summer, Northstar Resort’s advanced almost two-mile long signature trail that is fully irrigated, this summer the resort will double the lift capacity on the Tahoe Zephyr Express, its six-pack express chairlift, allowing even more riders to quickly get up the mountain.

Northstar Resort’s Mountain Bike Park is scheduled to open Friday through Monday of Memorial Day weekend (May 23-26, 2008), weather and conditions permitting, with a kick-off demo event sponsored by Giant Bicycles on Friday, May 23, 2008. Following that weekend, the bike park will be open on Saturdays and Sundays until June 20 when it will open for daily operations through September 1, and Friday-Sunday until October 12. Daily operating hours will be 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday ... Daily lift tickets are required for lift access and can be purchased for $39. For those who want to ride all season, Mountain Bike Park season passes are available for $229 and can be purchased online." (Via Northstar at Tahoe website)

"In February, Niner Bikes announced plans to give back to the industry and other charities. To find a suitable design, Niner solicited entries for a paint scheme that would highlight IMBA's efforts.

Vermont's Chris Weber used topographic maps of trail systems that IMBA has contributed to as panels on the frame. Webber's reward for winning the contest will be one of the limited edition M.C.R. 9 frames.

The winning design will be unveiled at IMBA's booth (#235) during the Sea Otter Classic on Friday, April 18, at 4 pm. Frame and fork sales of the limited edition frames will be available to the general public in May." (Via IMBA News)

Make sure to gawk at it while down at Sea Otter -- and maybe signup for IMBA while you're at it.

The race route for the CCCX DH #3 will be extremely fast with many open sections that allow riders to hit very high speeds. The trail then turns into many switch-back and off-camber sections where tire choice and air pressure will determine hook up ability on the loose and dry dirt in the turns. Following the switch-back sections is some railing fast single-track that leads toward the finish area. With out any significant rainfall the trails are dry and slick, which makes for some great flat track style turns where drifting and sliding the bike will come into play. The Sea Otter Classic is one week after this Toro DH and there are reports of a certain current UCI World Champion DH rider in town for the Sea Otter event that will be taking part in CCCX DH #3. The track looks to be very fun and challenging to ride and should make for some exciting racing for all who compete.

Rumors are that some of the Pro teams in town for Sea Otter may be coming out to participate.

For those of you who haven't been down to the coast for this race series before, you can find the details on the race at MTB Calendar or the CCCX DH website.

"The 15th annual Napa Valley Dirt Classic bike race takes place in Angwin on April 13.

This 22-mile circuit at 1,667 feet elevation began as the ‘Romp Stomper’ and became the Dirt Classic 15 years ago, in 1994. The race is a part of the 2008 NorCal Mountain Bike State Championship Series and is open to riders of all levels. It takes place on trails on Pacific Union College property, and funds raised from the event benefit PUC recreational projects." (Via Sports Capsule: Napa Valley wrestlers place in meet | Napa Valley Register)

Not bad press, considering most papers avoid any bicycling news not involving Lance like the plague. Anyway, The Dirt Classic is Sunday up in the Napa / North Bay (Angwin to be exact) and is the yearly kickoff for the Big Event / Non-Series races in the Bay Area. It's a cool course that can be a bit challenging (if you miss this, Howell Mountain in the summer is a similar course of the same site). See full details at MTB Calendar or peruse the archives for previous year's race results.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

"Reggae Riding 2008 will take place on August 16 at the Southern Humboldt Community Park. We are looking for vendors of bike related products and volunteers to work at the Festival. Please call 707 923 2100 for more information ." (Via Reggae Riding- So Hum Mountain Bike Festival)

This first time event, located at the beautiful and newly opened Lynch Canyon Park (near Vallejo), is limited to the first 100 registrants. The hill climb time trial meanders up a 2.5 mile course, first on fire trail and finishing on nice single-track that includes oak knolls and a rock garden. From the top, finishers can see (on a clear day) Mt. Diablo, Mt. Tam and the Sierras as they catch their breath. Proceeds benefit the NorCal High School Mountain Bike Racing League.

There will categories for High School Boys/Girls, Varsity Boys/Girls, Open Men / Women, Masters 35+ Men/Women, Masters 55+ Men/Women and First Race Ever.

Adults are $35 and NorCal HS league members are $25. You can register here.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

The NMBS finals, originally scheduled for Tamarack in Idaho, are being moved.

The final round of the 2008 National Mountain Bike Series has been moved from Tamarack Resort, Tamarack, Idaho to a location that has yet to be revealed.

"We are awaiting confirmation from a past NMBS venue that everything is in place for the series finals to be held there, and then we can make the announcement," said series director Jeff Frost of Bluewolf Events.

In its fourth year of operation Tamarack Resort is in the midst of ongoing development, but it already offers an outstanding mountain bike trail network capable of hosting world-class competition. "Expected funding for some key pieces needed for the NMBS is being delayed. To ensure that we can host the best Finals possible, we are deferring being the event site until another year," explained Ken Rider, Tamarack Resort Director of Marketing & Sales.

A press release will be distributed as soon as the replacement venue for 2008 is confirmed.

I am hoping this means that it will be held at Mammoth (hope, hope) or Big Bear (socal, but still roadtrip-able) -- but a lot of sites are certainly possible.

Saturday, April 19th Timbuk2 is hosting a Bike Swap to help their own Cole Emde raise the funds he needs to participate in Bike and Build 2008 this summer. Bring your parts and or a wad of cash and help Cole.

Admission comes with one raffle ticket, additional raffle tickets are available for $1 ea. Seller space is limited so if you’re going to sell stuff, contact Cole at cole.emde at timbuk2.com. For general information about the event, contact Keri at ksedor at timbuk2.com

The full results links that were sent to me don't seem to be working but here is a writeup of this weekend's NMBS #2 in Phoenix:

U.S. Olympic hopeful Georgia Gould (Luna Chix) and Canada's Geoff Kabush (Maxxis) dominated the KENDA Cross Country, the finale of round two of the National Mountain Bike Series, the NOVA National, powered by SOBE Cannondale, held on a fast, technical, desert course at McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

These two also won the three-day stage race. Both won Friday's Super D time trial; and Kabush won Saturday's Short Track while Gould finished second in the women's race. Kabush and Gould now lead in the National Mountain Bike Series standings, with two of six rounds completed.

MEN XCKabush worked with a lead group of five over three fast laps of the technically challenging, yet relatively flat, 10-mile course. With an abundance of embedded rocks throughout, many riders with superlight tires on hard-tail bikes suffered flat tires.

Kabush was not troubled by rocks. The 2007 NMBS series champion went to the lead on the first lap, with four others. These were: Adam Craig (Giant), Barry Wicks (Kona), Santa Cruz, Calif., the 2006 US Under-23 champion, Sam Schultz (Subaru-Gary Fisher), Missoula. Mont., and Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher), Boulder, Colo.

On the second lap, Schultz, riding a hard tail, followed Craig through an alternative line that turned out to be full of sharp rocks. Craig floated; Schultz flatted.

Craig was doing a lot of pace setting as the end of the race drew near. After working with him and others in the lead group for two laps, going into the final three miles, Kabush grew restless and started to attack the group as they crested the repetitive 15-second climbs that reared up from among the cacti. The first two times the group came back together on the following descent, but the effect of these repeated attacks took its toll as Wicks and Horgan Kobelski lost touch with the battling Craig and Kabush. Finally Craig could no longer pull back the Canadian on the descents and so the finishing order was decided.

WOMEN XCGeorgia Gould, 28, of Missoula, Mont., blasted off at the start of her two-lap, 20-mile race and was not seen by her rivals until the end, which she reached one minute, forty-seven seconds ahead of her team-mate Katerina Nash.

Nash, 31, a Czech native who now lives in Truckee, Calif., might have ridden with Gould all the way had she not gone down hard at the first corner and done herself an injury to the left knee that required stitches after the finish.

A group of eight riders formed to chase Gould, which later reduced to four as the race progressed and riders succumbed to double flats. Canada's Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher), was in fourth place when she double-flatted. Wendy Simms (Kona), and Catherine Pendrel (LUNA) were two other highly-placed riders stopped or delayed by flat tires - a spate of which came in the second half of the final lap.

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Last night was the PCRS kickoff for the Spring and if the photos are any judge, it was huge. Organizers were expecting north of 400 racers and I don't think there were wrong. Results posted here as soon as I see them.

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

As many of you know, local pro triathlete (and MTB racer) Jamie Whitmore was diagnosed with a pelvic tumor last month. To help her with the fight, a ride has been organized to raise money and awareness. Reader Paul sent us the info:

Join us on Saturday, April 5th for a day of great riding on the trails of Mammoth Bar Park in Auburn. Meet up with others as we all join to support Jamie and help raise funds to help cover the expense of treatment. Donations are welcome and appreciated. To find out ways you can help, go to: www.jamiewhitmore.com.

Here are the details on the ride:Date: Saturday, April 5thTime: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.Location: Mammoth Bar OHV Park, Auburn, CADownhill Riders!: Complimentary Shuttle up the mountain will be available for riders throughout the day. (Donations encouraged and appreciated)Cross Country Riders!: 9:30 a.m. start or 1:30 p.m. start. Two organized rides available! Ride time is approximately 2 hours. *Riders are also welcome to head out on their own throughout the day.

P.S. Reader Dave wrote in to say that the American River 50 Ultra Run is also that day out in Auburn, so arrive early to get parking and make sure to look out for runners. Thanks Dave.